She smiled and Robert tightened his hand around my waist. I’m sure he didn’t like my answer, but if everyone kept lying to this woman or telling her what she wanted to hear, there was no way she was going to sign with him.
“My Anna has always spoken her mind.”
I glanced over at Robert, seeing the sparkle in his eyes. “Not always, but I’m getting there.”
His eyes were glued to mine for a moment, almost like a challenge, like he was waiting to hear the next thing that would come out of my mouth. I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t at all the girl that he remembered, that I had changed so much, but he already knew that, and reminding him of that now would only ruin the illusion.
“How long have the two of you been together?”
“Forever,” Robert said at the same time that I said, “About a year.”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she pursed her lips at Robert.
“We met in high school,” I supplied, remembering our time together. “He was the love of my life, even back then.” My gaze slowly slid over to Robert’s. His eyes were on me, holding me to him, begging me to tell him what he already knew. “We were just kids, but we loved each other very much. He used to sneak out of his house every night to come rescue me.”
“Rescue you from what?” Rebecca asked curiously.
My eyes slid back to Rebecca’s and I cleared my throat. “My mother was an alcoholic. I didn’t like to be at the house with her. She was a hard person to be around. So, Robert would sneak me out and we’d lay out under the stars at night, dreaming of a better life.”
“But it didn’t work out,” Rebecca supplied.
I shook my head slowly, giving her a sad smile. “Life happened. Robert went away to college and I went to live with my aunt and uncle across the country. I came back to our hometown after my mother died of alcohol poisoning, and I’ve been there ever since.”
Robert’s hand slid across my shoulders and he squeezed the back of my neck lightly, almost like he was trying to comfort me. I found myself actually tearing up from the tender touch. God, I still missed him so much.
“So, how did you reconnect?” Rebecca asked, taking a sip of her water on the table.
“I needed a job. I was working at the gas station in town, just trying to make ends meet.”
Rebecca’s gaze snapped to Robert’s, a cruel expression crossing her face. “So, you were scraping by and your ex was living the high life. How very cliche.”
“Cliche?” I said, tilting my head. “No, Robert has always worked hard to get where he is. Life just took us down different paths. But when his brother needed an office manager, he asked him to hire me, knowing I needed the money. I didn’t have any experience, only a few college courses.”
“He could have given you money.”
“I wouldn’t have taken it. It’s just not who I am. He helped me the only way he knew how. And he slowly wormed his way back into my life, never giving up until he had me back.”
“Wow,” she said sarcastically. “You’re just a regular Cinderella story.”
I laughed. “No, far from it. But Robert has always been my best friend. It just took us a while to find our way back to each other.”
“Thirteen years,” he said quietly as he stared at me. His thumb brushed against my neck in small circles, sending tingles down my spine. Sitting here with him now, I knew that every word I said was true. He was still my best friend, the only person I felt I could count on, even if time had torn us apart. The connection was still just as strong.
“I’m not sure if we should be toasting to the dissolution of my marriage or to the two of you finding each other, though I’m guessing it won’t last.”
I quirked my head at her. “I’m sorry to hear about what you’re going through. It must be extremely difficult.”
“You have no idea.”
“I have some idea. Betrayal always feels the same, whether it’s cheating or something else.”
“Is that what happened with you? Betrayal?”
I glanced at Robert and then back to her. “What happened between us is in the past. Robert and I were seventeen years old when we broke up. There’s a difference between our relationship now and what it was then. But